Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's late

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

s are: :*Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E major (1825) :*Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B major (1825) :*Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C minor (1826) :*Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825) :*Opus 133: ''

Große Fuge The ''Grosse Fuge'' (German spelling: ''Große'' ''Fuge'', also known in English as the ''Great Fugue'' or ''Grand Fugue''), Op. 133, is a single-movement composition for string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven. An immense double fugue, it was ...

'' in B major (1825; originally the finale to Op. 130; it also exists in a piano four-hands transcription, Op. 134) :*Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826) These six works are Beethoven's last major completed compositions. Although dismissed by musicians and audiences of Beethoven's day, they are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time, and have inspired many later composers.

Overview

Prince Nikolai Galitzine commissioned the first three quartets (12, 13 and 15) and in a letter dated 9 November 1822, offered to pay

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

"what you think proper" for them. Beethoven replied on 25 January 1823 with his price of 50

ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

s for each opus. He composed the quartets in the sequence 12, 15, 13, 14, 16, writing 13 and 15 simultaneously. Beethoven wrote these last quartets in failing health. In April 1825, he was bedridden and remained ill for about a month. The illness—or more precisely, his recovery from it—is remembered for having given rise to the deeply felt slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet, which Beethoven called "Holy song of thanks (''Heiliger Dankgesang'') to the divinity, from one made well". He went on to complete the quartets now numbered

Thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octa ...

, Fourteenth, and

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

. The last work Beethoven completed was the substitute final movement of the thirteenth quartet, which replaced the extremely difficult ''

''.

The "ABC" quartets

Opp. 132, 130 and 131 are sometimes called the "ABC" quartets because of their keys: A minor, B major, and C minor. They are thematically linked by the four notes of the harmonic minor scale's second tetrachord. In his notes for the Quartetto Italiano's recording of all six quartets, A. David Hogarth writes: Jno-LvB-late-string-quartets-analysis

] Beethoven's "obsession at that time with the upper four notes of the harmonic minor scale" (Hogarth) predates these works. For an early example, see the first movement of his string trio, String Trios, Op. 9 (Beethoven), opus 9, no. 3.

Appraisal

Beethoven's late quartets went far beyond the comprehension of musicians and audiences of his time. One musician said, "we know there is something there, but we do not know what it is." Composer

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...

called them "indecipherable, uncorrected horrors". Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception: these six quartets (including the ''Große Fuge'') are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time. The

Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...

philosopher

Theodor Adorno Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blueger, ...

, in particular, thought highly of them, and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

called the ''Große Fuge'' "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". Their forms and ideas inspired and continue to inspire musicians and composers, such as

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

. Wagner said that Op. 131's first movement "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music".

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

's last musical wish was to hear Op. 131, which he did on 14 November 1828, five days before his death. Afterward, he remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?" Beethoven also considered Op. 131 his most perfect single work.

Other versions

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

and

Felix Weingartner Paul Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg (2 June 1863 – 7 May 1942) was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist. Life and career Weingartner was born in Zara, Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary (now Zadar, Croatia), to Austrian parents. T ...

, among others, transcribed some of the late quartets for string orchestra.

Recordings

Ensembles that have recorded the complete late Beethoven quartets include: *

Alban Berg Quartet The Alban Berg Quartett was a string quartet founded in Vienna, Austria in 1970, named after Alban Berg. Members Beginnings The Berg Quartet was founded in 1970 by four young professors of the Vienna Academy of Music, and made its debut in ...

, EMI (studio early 80s) * Alban Berg Quartet, EMI (rec. live 1989) *

Alexander String Quartet The Alexander String Quartet is a string quartet based in San Francisco. Formed in New York in 1981, the Alexander String Quartet has since 1989 been Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances and directors of the Morrison Chamber Music ...

, Arte Nova * Alexander String Quartet, Foghorn Classics *

Amadeus Quartet The Amadeus Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1947 and disbanded in 1987, having retained its founding members throughout its history. Noted for its smooth, sophisticated style, its seamless ensemble playing, and its sensitive interpretat ...

, DG *

Artemis Quartet The Artemis Quartet is a German string quartet, founded in 1989 in Lübeck, and now based in Berlin. The quartet is named for the Greek goddess of hunting and the wilderness. History The first members of the Artemis Quartet, Wilken Ranck, Isab ...

, Virgin Classics *

Barylli Quartet The Barylli Quartet was a celebrated Austrian string quartet classical musical ensemble. It was first brought together in Vienna during the War by Walter Barylli, Konzertmeister of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra from 1939, but was re-founded i ...

Beethoven Quartet The Beethoven Quartet (russian: Струнный квартет имени Бетховена, ''Strunnyĭ kvartet imeni Betkhovena'') was a string quartet founded between 1922 and 1923 by graduates of the Moscow Conservatory: violinists Dmitri T ...

, Melodiya (rec. 1951-1972) *

Belcea Quartet The Belcea Quartet is a string quartet, formed in 1994, under the leadership of violinist Corina Belcea. History The quartet was formed while its members were studying at the Royal College of Music in London. Whilst there, they were coached by t ...

Borodin Quartet The Borodin Quartet is a string quartet that was founded in 1945 in the then Soviet Union. It is one of the world's longest-lasting string quartets, having marked its 70th-anniversary season in 2015. The quartet was one of the Soviet Union's best ...

, Chandos *

Brentano String Quartet The Brentano Quartet is an American string quartet. History Founded in 1992 at the Juilliard School, the quartet's founding members were violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Michael Kannen. At the suggestio ...

, Aeon (rec. 2012) *

Budapest String Quartet The Budapest String Quartet was a string quartet in existence from 1917 to 1967. It originally consisted of three Hungarians and a Dutchman; at the end, the quartet consisted of four Russians. A number of recordings were made for HMV/Victor t ...

, Bridge (rec. 1941-60) *

, Sony (rec. 1958-61) *

Busch Quartet The Busch Quartet was a string quartet founded by Adolf Busch in 1919 that was particularly noted for its interpretations of the Classical and Romantic quartet repertoire. The group's recordings of Beethoven's Late String Quartets are especiall ...

, various labels (rec. 1933-41; no Große Fuge) *

Cleveland Quartet The Cleveland Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 by violinist Donald Weilerstein, at the time an instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, whose director Victor Babin had secured funding for an in-resident quartet (the institute's f ...

, RCA Red seal (1970s) * Cleveland Quartet, Telarc (1990s) * Colorado Quartet, Parnassus (rec. 2004-06) * Ehnes Quartet, Onyx Classics (2020-2022) *

Emerson String Quartet The Emerson String Quartet, also known as the Emerson Quartet, is an American string quartet that was initially formed as a student group at the Juilliard School in 1976. It was named for American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and beg ...

, DG * Endellion String Quartet, Warner Classics (2005–06) *

Fine Arts Quartet The Fine Arts Quartet is a chamber music ensemble founded in Chicago, United States in 1946 by Leonard Sorkin and George Sopkin. The Quartet has recorded over 200 works and has toured internationally for 77 years, making it one of the longest en ...

, Everest/Concert-Disc (rec. 1960-65) * Gewandhaus-Quartett, New Classical Adventure (rec. live 1985-98) *

Guarneri Quartet The Guarneri Quartet was an American string quartet founded in 1964 at the Marlboro Music School and Festival. It was admired for its rich, warm, complex tone and its bold, dramatic interpretations of the quartet literature, with a particular aff ...

, RCA Red Seal, Philips *

Hagen Quartet The Hagen Quartet is an Austrian string quartet founded in 1981 by four siblings, Lukas, Angelika (first replaced by Annette Bik, who was then replaced by Rainer Schmidt in 1987), Veronika and Clemens, in Salzburg. The quartet members are teach ...

t, DG *

Hollywood String Quartet The Hollywood String Quartet (HSQ) was an American string quartet founded by violinist/conductor Felix Slatkin and his wife cellist Eleanor Aller. The Hollywood String Quartet is considered to be the first American-born and trained classical music ...

, Testament *

Hungarian Quartet The Hungarian String Quartet was a musical ensemble of world renown, particularly famous for its performances of quartets by Beethoven and Bartók. The quartet was founded in Budapest in 1935 (as the New Hungarian Quartet) and was disbanded in 197 ...

, (1953 mono) EMI * Hungarian Quartet, (1960s stereo) EMI *

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. It has received numerous ...

, CBS studio late 60s * Juilliard String Quartet, CBS (rec. live 1982) *

Kodály Quartet The Kodály Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1966 in Budapest, Hungary, originally as ''Sebestyén Quartet''. In 1969, with the approval of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Hungarian Republic, the quartet assumed its present name in hon ...

, Naxos *

LaSalle Quartet The LaSalle Quartet was a string quartet active from 1946 to 1987. It was founded by first violinist Walter Levin. The LaSalle's name is attributed to an apartment on LaSalle Street in Manhattan, where some of its members lived during the quarte ...

, DG (reissued on Brilliant Classics) * Leipziger Streichquartett, MDG * Lindsays, ASV * Lydian String Quartet, Centaur * Medici Quartet, Nimbus *

Melos Quartet The Melos Quartet was a much-recorded, Stuttgart-based string quartet active from 1965 until 2005, when its first violin died. It also went by the name Melos Quartett Stuttgart, partly to distinguish itself from the equally prominent chamber group ...

t, DG *

Orford String Quartet The Orford String Quartet was a Canadian string quartet active from 1965 through 1991. They came to be the leading string quartet in Canada, and were well-known internationally. Founding In 1951, Gilles Lefebvre launched a summer music camp for L ...

, Delos *

Orion String Quartet The Orion String Quartet is a string quartet formed in 1987. It is the quartet-in-residence of New York's Mannes College The New School for Music. The members are Todd and Daniel Phillips, brothers who alternate on first and second violin, violis ...

, Koch Classics (2008) *

Penderecki String Quartet The Penderecki String Quartet is a string quartet, founded in 1986, now based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. History The original members of the string quartet started in Poland as the New Szymanowski Quartet. In 1986 they won the Penderecki P ...

, Marquis (2013) *

Petersen Quartet The Petersen Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1979 by students at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory in Berlin, including founding first violinist, Ulrike Petersen, who has recently rejoined the quartet to alternate in the first chair wit ...

t, Capriccio * Prazak Quartet, Praga *

Quatuor Mosaïques The Quatuor Mosaïques is an Austrian string quartet, founded in 1987 by Erich Höbarth, Andrea Bischof, Anita Mitterer, and Christophe Coin, four members of the Concentus Musicus Wien who play on historical musical instruments. The name of the qu ...

, Naïve *

Quartetto Italiano The Quartetto Italiano ( en, Italian Quartet) was a string quartet founded in Reggio Emilia in 1945. They made their debut in 1945 in Carpi when all four players were still in their early 20s. They were originally named Nuovo Quartetto Italiano b ...

, Decca *

Smetana Quartet The Smetana Quartet ( cs, Smetanovo kvarteto) was a Czech string quartet that was in existence from 1945 to 1989. Personnel 1st violin * Václav Neumann (1920-1995), from 1943 to 1945 * Jaroslav Rybenský, from 1945 to 1947 * Jiří Novák (1924 ...

, Supraphon * Suske Quartett, Berlin Classics *

Takács Quartet The Takács Quartet is a string quartet founded in Budapest, Hungary, and now based in Boulder, Colorado, United States. History In 1975, four students at the Music Academy in Budapest, Gábor Takács-Nagy (first violin), Károly Schranz (seco ...

, Decca (2005) *

Talich Quartet 2015 The Talich Quartet ( cs, Talichovo kvarteto) is a Czech string quartet founded in 1964, which has won several Grand Prix du Disque awards. Personnel ;Violin I * Jan Talich, Sr. (founder, 1964–1970) * Petr Messiereur (1970–1997) * Jan ...

, Calliope * Taneyev Quartet, Boheme *

Tokyo String Quartet The was an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo ...

, RCA Red Seal (1993) * Tokyo String Quartet, Harmonia Mundi (2010) * Vanbrugh Quartet, Intim Musik (1996) *

Vermeer Quartet The Vermeer Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont and active until 2007. With performances in practically every major city in North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia, the Verme ...

, Teldec, (rec. 1984-89) * Vegh Quartet, (1952 Les Discophiles Français) Music & Arts * Vegh Quartet, (1972 Telefunken) Naïve-Astrée *

Wihan Quartet The Wihan Quartet ( cs, Wihanovo kvarteto) is a Czech string quartet currently in residence at the Trinity College of Music, London. The quartet was founded at the Prague Academy of Musical Arts in 1985 by Leoš Čepický (violin), Jan Schulmeister ...

, Nimbus * Yale Quartet, Vanguard

References